Adonai (Adonay) & Elohim/El/Eloah & / / אלה אל אלוהים אֲדֹנָי Except for "YHWH", the two most common names/titles for GOD in the Biblia Hebraica (Hebrew Bible) are "Adonai" and "Elohim". Apart from the name "YHWH", the designations "Adonai" and "Elohim" say more about the GOD of Israel than any other name. Certainly, all that the names embody deserve considerable deliberation. Because the two words are so similar to each other and are often combined in the Old Testament, I thought it logical to study these two names together. Etymology -mean ,(" אָדֹן") (Adonai: "Adonai " derives from the Hebrew root "adon " (pronounced 'âdôn ing master , owner , or sovereign ruler . Thus, when referring to the GOD of Israel, the name expresses the authority and the exalted position of GOD. In the ordinary sense, "adon " refers to both human and divine relationships. The word "adon " (plural "adonai") appears ±335 times throughout Scripture, frequently in reference to a servant’s master or the family patriarch. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my lord (adon) is old, will I now have this pleasure?" (Genesis 18:12 parenthetical text added ) "My lords (adonai) ," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." (Genesis 19:2a parenthetical text added ) The angel answered me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord (Adon) of the whole world. (Zechariah 6:5 parenthetical text added ) is the emphatic plural form of "adon" and is used exclusively as a (" אֲדֹנָי") "The name "Adonai proper name of God. Implicit in the name "Adonai" is not only the expectation of provision and protection, but also of potential profitability. That’s why Abraham had the courage to ask the Lord for an heir immediately after Adonai promised to care for and protect him. 1 After this, the word of the LORD (YHWH) came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward ." 2 But Abram said, "Sovereign (Adonai) LORD (YHWH) , what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" (Genesis 15:1-2 emphasis and parenthetical text added ) In referring to "Adonai" as "a proper name of God," we must not confuse this with the . of the one true God , יהוה ,proper name The name "Adonai" in and of itself, and not as a substitute for "YHWH", occurs ±430 times and generally denotes the authority and exalted position of GOD. Primarily, the name 41 stresses God's relationship to man as his Master , Authority , and Provider (not to be confused with YHWH Jireh, which means "GOD Sees" / "GOD Will Provide"). Elohim: The precise development of the word "elohim" (pronounced 'ĕlôhîym ) is disputed. There are two prominent theories. (" אֵל") (Some believe it derives from the shorter Hebrew word "El " (pronounced 'êl • in Hebrew), both of which mean " אַיִל") (and a similar Hebrew word "'ayil" (ah'-yil mighty , strong , or prominent (as in "chief"). • Others believe it derives from the Hebrew form of "Eloah" (pronounced 'ĕlôahh ) a prolonged form of "‘êl", which appears to be used most frequently when ,(" אֱלוֹהַ") comparing the GOD to the gods of the pagan polytheistic religions, as in… They sacrificed to demons, not God (Eloah), to gods (elohim) they didn’t know… (Deuteronomy 32:17a WEB parenthetical text added ). In the natural, the word also refers to powerful men or judges. The word "Eloah", in reference to YHWH, is the root of the Chaldee word "Eloi " ["ἐλοΐ́"] (pronounced el-o-ee' ), which Jesus uttered from the cross: And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ). (Mark 15:34 ref. Psalm 22:1) The use of "eloah" in the Bible is rare, occurring primarily in poetry and late prose, mainly in Job. The word "El", however, is itself translated "God" ±250 times and frequently in circum- stances which especially indicate the great power of God. For example... • El Shaddai (God Almighty or Almighty God) as in Genesis 17:1 — When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty (El Shaddai) ; walk before me faithfully and be blameless." • El Elyon (God Most High) as in Genesis 14:18-19 — Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High (El Elyon), and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High (El Elyon), Creator of heaven and earth. • El Gibhor (Strong & Mighty God) as in Isaiah 10:21 — A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God (El Gibhor) . • El Tzur (God our Rock) as in 2 Samuel 22:47 — "The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock (Tzur) ! Exalted be my God, the Rock (El Tzur) , my Savior! • It is also one of the names given to the promised Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 — For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God (El Gibhor), Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. • See also Genesis 7:1, 28:3, 35:11; Numbers 23:22; Joshua 3:10; 2 Samuel 22:31- 32; Nehemiah 1:5, 9:32; Isaiah 9:6; Ezekiel 10. 42 is the plural form of "Eloah" and is the first name of God that occurs in (" אֱלֹהִים") "Elohim" Scripture. "In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1 TS) The Bible uses "Elohim" when emphasizing God's might , creative power , justice , and rulership . The name refers especially to His sovereignty , creative work , and mighty works . Although "Adonai" and "Elohim" are similar, the distinguishing attributes that differentiate them are that the name "Adonai" affirms God’s elevated position of authority and rulership , whereas the name "Elohim" refers to Him as the Creator who interacts with and reveals Himself to His creation. "Elohim " is both a proper name and an adjective. Apart from the first two books of the Bible where "Elohim" is seen as a proper noun for the Creator, throughout the remaining Scriptures "Elohim" is more an appellative or designa- tion. For example, in the frequent expression, "LORD your God " in most English Bibles, "LORD" ("YHWH") is the proper name , while "your God " ("your Elohim") defines the deity, thereby functioning as an adjective. Two other variations of this are "Elohai" (meaning "my God") and "Elohaynu" (meaning "our God"). As the Sovereign Authority and Creator over all creation, the name "Elohim" denotes God as the supreme deity of a person or people. How are the names "Adonai", "Elohim", and "El"/Eloah represented in English? As we learned in the previous study, to avoid violating the commandment "You shall not your God (Elohim) in vain" (Exodus 20:7), the vowels of (" יהוה") take the name of Yahweh This ." יְהֹוִה" Adonay" ("Adonai") were inserted between the letters "YHWH", thus creating" was done to remind the reader to not pronounce the name "YHWH", but to say "Adonay" instead. In fact, the most current English versions of the Hebrew Scriptures now use "Adonai" almost exclusively in the place of "YHWH". in and of itself, represents GOD as our Master and Sovereign Ruler , (" אֲדֹנָיאֲדֹנָיאֲדֹנָי") Adonai and is transliterated "Lord ", "God ", or "Sovereign " whenever it refers to the GOD (as in -It is used ±325 times in the Old Testa ." יהוה" the Lord")—not as an Hebraic substitute for" ment and is especially prevalent in the books of Isaiah (30 times), Jeremiah (14 times), and almost exclusively in Ezekiel and Amos (208 times and 18 times respectively). Following is a mere sampling of the verses that use the name "Adonai" in the original Hebrew to describe our Most High GOD. LORD (YHWH), our Lord (Adonai) , how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. (Psalm 8:1 parenthetical text added ) Great is our Lord (Adonai) and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. (Psalm 147:5 parenthetical text added ) 43 What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?" declares the Lord (Adonai) , the LORD (YHWH) Almighty. (Isaiah 3:15 parenthetical text added ) In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord (Adonai) , high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1 emphasis and parenthetical text added ) Then I heard the voice of the Lord (Adonai) saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8 parenthetical text added ) But you, Sovereign (Adonai) LORD (YHWH), help me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. (Psalm 109:21 parenthetical text added ) , as a designation or adjective, represents God's might , creative power ,(" אֱלֹהִים") Elohim and sovereign authority over creation. It is translated "God " when referring to the Creator, as an appellative when GOD is seen interacting with humans (as in "your /my / our God " or "the God /the LORD God "), or by inference. Elohim"/"Eloah"), transliterated "God ", references GOD interacting") " אלהים" The name with His creation and appears in ±1300 verses in the Old Testament: ;YHWH Elohim") in ±75 verses") " יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהִים " the compound name • • "your/our Elohim" in ±645 verses; • "the Elohim of" in ±350 verses; and • "Elohim" alone in 233 verses.